Oral care mouthpiece with brushing elements

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to oral care mouthpieces and methods of forming oral care mouthpieces. A disclosed oral care mouthpiece includes a base shaped to a dental arch. The base elastically deforms in response to pressure variations in the mouthpiece, The mouthpiece also includes a set of one or more supports attached to the base and placed to allow the base to elastically deform in response to the pressure variations in the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece also includes a set of oral care elements attached to the set of one or more supports and placed to transmit pressure to the dental arch when the base elastically deforms in response to the pressure variations in the mouthpiece.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/748,645, filed on Jan. 21, 2020.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Dental cleaning plays a significant role in impacting the overall healthof an individual. Many people schedule regular visits to the dentist forcheck-ups and cleaning operations. Many devices have been developed overthe years to achieve the purpose of oral hygiene. These devices areeither electrical or non-electrical. Among the above-mentionedcategories of dental cleaning devices, electric dental units have gainedpopularity. Some examples of electric dental units are electrictoothbrushes, dental water jets and electric flosses which intend toprovide cleaning results by eradicating the food remains, plaque, etc.from the spaces in between the teeth. These devices tend to require lessuser intervention in their operation, and some are also suitable forpeople with reduced mobility or people on the move for whom it isdifficult to use a traditional toothbrush. However, it is necessary toprovide and improve existing dental units for ensuring satisfactorycleaning results.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Specific embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein relate tothe technical field of oral care appliances and methods of use thereof.In particular, specific embodiments of the present invention disclosedherein relate to oral care appliances in the form of oral caremouthpieces with a base shaped to a dental arch and a set of oral careelements which apply pressure to the dental arch when the baseelastically deforms in response to pressure variations in themouthpiece. The oral care action of the mouthpiece can therefore beachieved via the application of pressure to the dental arch as caused bythese pressure variations.

The oral care mouthpiece may be used for cleaning, polishing, whitening,halitosis abatement, and in other general oral care applications. Theoral care elements on the oral care mouthpiece can be optimized for oneof these applications or be generally applicable to multipleapplications. The oral care elements could be brushing elements used forcleaning, mildly abrasive elements used for polishing, coated elementsfor applying a chemical treatment, or any other kind of oral careelements. In specific applications, the mouthpiece may include oral careagents that are either applied prior to the oral care action or injectedinto the mouthpiece during the oral care action. The oral care agentcould be: a polishing agent such as an inert abrasive; a cleaning agentsuch as fluoride, activated charcoal, or a fluoride-fee antibacterialcomposition; a halitosis treatment agent such as chlorine dioxide; or awhitening agent such as hydrogen peroxide. The active composition couldalso be any mixture of these kinds of agents and chemicals. The oralcare elements can be optimized for the application of these oral careagents to the dental arch of the user.

The fact that the mouthpiece achieves an oral care action via elasticdeformation offers specific benefits. As mentioned, in specificembodiments of the invention, the deformation of the mouthpiece can beachieved through the creation of pressure variations in the mouthpiece.The pressure variations can be created in a chamber formed between themouthpiece and the dental arch of the user. The chamber can be formednaturally by the device as the base can be shaped to the dental arch andconfigured to form a seal against the gingiva of the dental arch. Thepressure variations can be created by a separate system such as a liquidor gaseous pump. Regardless of how the pressure variations are formed,the elastic deformation of the base and the placement of the oral careelements on the base create superior oral care actions as compared tocertain prior art approaches. Various configurations and compositions ofthe oral care elements that support these oral care actions aredisclosed in the detailed description below. Furthermore, in specificembodiments of the invention in which oral care agents are injected andremoved from the mouthpiece automatically, the fact that pressurevariations create the oral care action is also beneficial because thesame pressure variations can be used for the dual purpose of creatingthe oral care action and cycling the oral care agents and waste throughthe mouthpiece.

In specific embodiments of the invention, an oral care mouthpiece isprovided. The oral care mouthpiece comprises a base shaped to a dentalarch. The base elastically deforms in response to pressure variations inthe mouthpiece. The oral care mouthpiece also comprises a set of one ormore supports: (i) attached to the base; and (ii) that allow the base toelastically deform in response to the pressure variations in themouthpiece. The oral care mouthpiece also comprises a set of oral careelements: (i) attached to the set of one or more supports; and (ii)placed to transmit pressure to the dental arch when the base elasticallydeforms in response to the pressure variations in the mouthpiece.

In specific embodiments of the invention, an oral care mouthpiece isprovided. The oral care mouthpiece comprises an elastic base shaped to adental arch and a set of one or more supports: (i) attached to the base;and (ii) that to allow the base to deform towards the dental arch andaway from the dental arch. The oral care mouthpiece also comprises a setof oral care elements attached to the set of one or more supports andplaced to transmit pressure to the dental arch when the base deformstowards the dental arch and away from the dental arch.

In specific embodiments of the invention, a method of forming an oralcare mouthpiece is provided. The method comprises shaping an elasticbase to a dental arch, attaching a set of at least one support to thebase, and attaching a set of oral care elements to the at least onesupport. The set of oral care elements are placed to transmit pressureto the dental arch when the base elastically deforms in response topressure variations in the mouthpiece.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross section view of an oral care mouthpiece and aflow chart for methods of fabricating an oral care mouthpiece inaccordance with specific embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross section of a support element for an oral careelement in the form of a flexible pad, an illustration of a flexiblepad, an illustration of an oral care mouthpiece fabricated using thatflexible pad, and a flow chart for a set of methods for fabricating anoral care mouthpiece with a flexible pad in accordance with specificembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates two cross sections of a support element for an oralcare element in the form of a twisted wire, an illustration of a twistedwire in accordance with the first cross section, and a flow chart for aset of methods for fabricating an oral care mouthpiece with a flexiblepad in accordance with specific embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an oral care mouthpiece at two stages of afabrication process and two accompanying cross sections that are inaccordance with specific embodiments of the invention disclosed herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates two rails specialized for different oral careelements in accordance with specific embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a support element for an oral care element in theform of a flexible skeleton being attached to an oral care mouthpieceand a flow chart for a set of methods for fabricating on oral caremouthpiece with such a support element in accordance with specificembodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Aspects of the present invention can be understood by reference to thefigures and description set forth herein. However, the followingdescriptions, and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way ofillustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications tothe specific descriptions may be made without departing from the scopethereof, and the present invention includes all such modifications. Itis to be understood that the embodiments may or may not overlap witheach other. Thus, part of one embodiment, or specific embodimentsthereof, may or may not fall within the ambit of another, or specificembodiments thereof, and vice versa.

Aspects of specific embodiments of the present invention will bepresented by describing various embodiments using specific examples andrepresented in different figures. For clarity and ease of description,each aspect includes only a few embodiments. Different embodiments fromdifferent aspects may be combined or practiced separately, to design acustomized process depending upon application requirements. Manydifferent combinations and sub-combinations of a few representativeprocesses shown within the broad framework of this invention, that maybe apparent to those skilled in the art but not explicitly shown ordescribed, should not be construed as precluded.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross section view of an oral care mouthpiece 100in accordance with specific embodiments of the present invention. Oralcare mouthpiece 100 includes a base 101 shaped to a dental arch. Thebase 101 can elastically deform in response to pressure variations inthe mouthpiece 100. The term elastic is used herein to refer to aproperty of a material which allows it to deform in response to anapplied force and then return to its original shape when that force isremoved. In the illustrated case, the pressure variations can be causedin a chamber formed by base 101 pressing against the dental arch, andthe pressure variations are formed by pulling air or liquid out of thatchamber via port 106 as connected to conduit 105. The mouthpiece canhave a bumper 109 with a different composition (e.g., softer) than theremainder of base 101 in order to form a comfortable seal with thedental arch. In the illustrated case, the base 101 can be formed ofmoulded plastic, rubber, silicon, or other elastic material. In specificembodiments of the invention, the base can be an elastic base shaped tothe dental arch.

In specific embodiments of the invention, the mouthpiece can take onvarious shapes. The mouthpiece could be shaped to cover at least aportion of the gingiva of the user's mouth and allow the brushingelements on the mouthpiece to lie in proximity to the teeth. The basecan be shaped to a dental arch in that it covers a single full arch of auser's teeth (e.g., the top or the bottom). The base could be part of aset in which one part of the set was shaped to the top dental arch of auser while the second part of the set was shaped to the bottom dentalarch of the user. Alternatively, the base could be reversible and couldbe applied to both the top and bottom arches at different times. Thebase could be part of a set in which one part of the set was shaped foreach quarter of the dental arch of a user, while the other three partsof the set were shaped for the remaining portions of the dental arch ofthe user. The base could be part of a set in which one part of the setwas shaped for counter quarters of the dental arch of a user, while asecond part of the set was shaped for the alternative two counterquarters of the dental arch of the user. Alternatively, the base couldbe reversible and rotatable such that it could be applied to the fourdifferent quarters of the dental arch at different times. The base couldalso be a single element capable of covering both the top and bottomdental arch of the users at a single time.

FIG. 1 also includes a flow chart 110 which represents a wide array ofmethods for forming an oral care mouthpiece. In specific embodiments ofthe invention represented by flow chart 110, the method can be used toform an oral care mouthpiece such as mouthpiece 100. Flow chart 110includes a step 111 of shaping an elastic base to a dental arch. Theelastic base could be base 101. Step 111 can be conducted using aninjection or stamp mould, additive manufacturing techniques such asthree-dimensional printing, or any other manufacturing process forelastic items.

FIG. 1 also includes a support 103 attached to base 101. The support 103is in turn attached to a set of oral care elements 107. As illustrated,support 103 is partially embedded in base 101 and has been attached byeither adhesive attachment, over-moulding or any other suitable bondingprocess. Base 101 also includes a second attached support 104 with anattached set of oral care elements 108. A set of two supports is shownfor illustrative purposes, but oral care mouthpieces in accordance withthis disclosure can include a set of one or more supports including onesupport (e.g. a “flat skeleton”), three supports, ten supports, ordozens of supports. As illustrated, each support in the set of supportsincludes attached oral care elements from the set of oral care elements.The oral care elements 107 can apply pressure to the dental arch of theuser when the mouthpiece 100 elastically deforms. For example, the oralcare elements 107 can conduct a brushing action against the dental archof the user when the mouthpiece 100 elastically deforms in response topressure variations generated in a chamber formed between the dentalarch and mouthpiece by the removal or injection of air or liquid fromoutlet 106.

In specific embodiments of the invention, a set of one or more supportsattached to a base of an oral care mouthpiece allow the base to deform,such as in response to pressure variations in the mouthpiece. The set ofsupports can be positioned to enable the base to deform and/or thecomposition of the supports can be such that the base is enabled todeform along with the support. For example, the supports could beindependent rigid elements distributed through the mouthpiece such thatthey do not constrict the ability of the base to deform, or the supportcould be a single elastic element attached to the mouthpiece that doesnot constrict the ability of the base to deform. The set of supports canallow the base to deform toward the dental arch and away from the dentalarch. Deformation towards and away from the dental arch could contributeto an oral care action against the dental arch.

In FIG. 1 , the illustrated supports are rigid elements, but the set isnot contiguous and is distributed through the mouthpiece. As such, theyhave been placed to allow the base 101 to elastically deform in responseto pressure variations in the mouthpiece (e.g., pressure variationscaused by the removal or addition of fluid or air through port 106).Various alternative approaches for placing the supports to allow thebase to elastically deform in response to pressure variations aredisclosed below. The constraints on the placement of the supports toachieve this objective are set by the characteristics of the supportsthemselves, the characteristics of the oral care elements attached tothe supports, and the oral care action the oral care mouthpiece isdesigned for.

In specific embodiments of the invention, a set of oral care elementsattached to a set of one or more supports in an oral care mouthpiece areplaced to transmit pressure to the dental arch when the base elasticallydeforms in response to the pressure variations in the mouthpiece. Theset of oral care elements can be placed to transmit pressure to thedental arch when the base deforms towards the dental arch and away fromthe dental arch. In FIG. 1 , the oral care elements are placed on thesupports in a direction facing the dental arch and will conduct abrushing action against the dental arch as the mouthpiece elasticallydeforms. The brushing action will be towards the dental arch and downaway from the gingiva of the dental arch. In specific embodiments of theinvention, the oral care elements can be placed at various angles toincrease or decrease the pressure applied against the dental arch duringthe oral care action. Furthermore, in specific embodiments of theinvention, large number of widely distributed oral care elements will beincluded in the mouthpiece such that the entire dental arch locatedwithin the ambit of the mouthpiece is subjected to an oral care actionsimultaneously. In other specific embodiments, dedicated sets of oralcare elements are placed in the oral care mouthpiece so that theiraction is directed toward the gingiva of the dental arch thus providinga specific oral care action in this particular area.

FIG. 1 also includes a step 112 of attaching a set of oral care elementsto the at least one support. The oral care elements can be attached tothe supports in various ways. Various approaches for conducting thisstep are discussed below and include weaving the ends of the oral careelements into a canvas of woven fibres that form the support for theoral care element. Additional approaches that can be used in thealternative or in combination include the use of a twisted wire,adhesives, sonic welding, fusing, moulding, stapling, gluing, additivemanufacturing, and other methods for attaching structures or formingattached structures.

FIG. 1 also includes a step 113 of attaching a set of at least onesupports to the base. The supports can be attached in various waysincluding injection moulding, over-moulding, fusing, sonic welding,clipping, sewing, stapling, pinning, or using one or more adhesives. Asillustrated, support 103 has been attached to base 101 using eitherover-moulding or adhesive attachment into a recess in the base. Therecess can be part of a negative for the support structure. The recesscan be formed when the base was originally shaped or as an additionalmanufacturing step prior to attaching the supports. The set of supportscan allow the base to elastically deform, such as in response topressure variations in the mouthpiece. Step 113 can be conducted suchthat the set of one or more supports are placed to allow the base toelastically deform, such as in response to pressure variations in themouthpiece (e.g., rigid support elements distributed through themouthpiece). Alternatively, the composition of the support itself can beselected to allow the base to elastically deform, such as in response tothose pressure variations.

In specific embodiments of the invention, the oral care elements and/orthe supports can be connected temporarily and be detachable. The stateof being easily attached, but detachable by an end user withoutspecialized tools can be referred to as being detachably attached. Theoral care elements and/or the supports can be detachably attached usingclips, interlocking into a channel (e.g., dovetail rail), velcrosurfaces, vacuum, screws, snaps, magnets, or any other form ofdetachable connection. In specific embodiments of the invention, themouthpiece can include a support in the form of a rail or platform whichpresents specific holding features such as channels, stops, pins, holes,clipping features, guides etc. In these embodiments, the oral careelements could be mounted on a connecting element that could be easilyattached to and removed from the rail or platform of the mouthpiecewithout tools (e.g., by clipping, sliding, screwed, snapping,magnetizing, etc.).

The oral care elements and/or the supports could be detachably attachedfor different reasons depending upon the embodiment. For example, themouthpiece, oral care elements, and/or supports could have differentexpected usable life cycles, with the mouthpiece expected to lastlonger, such that new supports and/or oral care elements could beswapped using the detachable connection. This solution would reduce thecost of the mouthpiece as the oral care elements, once worn, could berenewed without throwing away the whole membrane. As another example, asingle mouthpiece base could be configured to accept different supportsor oral care elements; or a single support could be configured to acceptdifferent oral care elements. In other words, the base or supports couldbe general purpose elements allowing for different kinds of oral care tobe achieved by the same oral care mouthpiece by swapping out the oralcare elements. Detachable attachment of the oral care elements wouldalso allow a user to alter the characteristics of the oral care elementsin their oral care mouthpiece to suit their immediate needs (e.g.,various materials, stiffness, distribution, etc.).

Steps 112 and 113 in flow chart 110 can be executed so that the set oforal care elements are placed to transmit pressure to the dental archwhen the base elastically deforms in response to pressure variations inthe mouthpiece. The oral care elements can be configured to have thincontact zones with the dental arch. The oral care elements can beconfigured to have tips contact the dental arch. In embodiments in whichthe oral care elements include a coating, the oral care elements can beconfigured to have their sides contact the dental arch.

The steps of flow chart 110 can be conducted in differing chronologicalorders depending upon the overall structure of the oral care mouthpiece.Although step 111 is illustrated as the first step in flow chart 110,the interrelationship of the three illustrated steps in the flow chart110 can vary significantly based on the overall structure of the oralcare mouthpiece. For example, step 112 could be conducted before step111 in situations in which the supports and base are independentelements that are separately formed and are later attached. As anotherexample, step 113 could be conducted prior to step 112 in situations inwhich the support and base are formed using a continuous process (e.g.,by over-moulding) and the oral care elements are later attached to thesupports (e.g., by clipping onto the supports). Numerous additionalvariants are described in more detail below.

In specific embodiments of the invention, the oral care elements willexhibit various compositions and configurations to achieve a given oralcare action. If the oral care action were a cleaning or polishingaction, the set of oral care elements could be a set of cleaningelements. For example, the set of cleaning elements could comprisedental nylon bristles. If the oral care elements are attached to anelastic membrane and apply pressure against the dental arch when themembrane deforms, the oral care elements can exhibit specificcharacteristics for an optimized oral care action.

In specific embodiments, the oral care elements can be between 3 mm and6 mm long, have a minimum cross section diameter of greater than 0.1 mm,have a maximum cross section diameter of less than 0.2 mm, and have aYoung's modulus between 2,000 MPa and 5,000 MPa. The maximum crosssection can be measured at the largest cross section of the oral careelement measured in a plane with a normal vector in the direction theoral care element extends away from the base. In specific embodiments,the oral care elements have a resisting moment less than 10⁻⁴ Newtonmeters. The resisting moment is defined as the Young's modulus in MPamultiplied by the quadratic moment of a minimum cross section of theoral care element in meters to the power of four, divided by the lengthof the oral care element. The minimum cross section can be measured atthe smallest cross section as measured in a plane having the same normalvector as the one described above with reference to the maximum crosssection.

In specific embodiments of the invention, the oral care elements will bebristles having varying shapes depending upon the embodiment. Thebristles can have a disk cross section. However, the bristle can havealternative symmetrical, asymmetrical, and irregular cross sections. Thecross sections of the bristles may be of varying sizes. Additionally, asingle embodiment may utilize bristles having varying sizes and crosssections. In specific embodiments, the cross section of the bristlescould include one or more sharp edges along its length (section with oneor more sharp angles), resulting in an improved disruption of the dentalplaque, and more generally an improved efficiency of the oral caretreatment (e.g. teeth cleaning or teeth whitening). In another specificembodiment the surface of the bristles is modified by a surfacetreatment such as spraying, chemical coating, surface hardening, surfaceionization or any other surface treatment. Such modifications wouldenhance the bristles specific oral care action. In yet another specificembodiment the material composition of the bristles can contain specificelements to enhance its oral care action.

In specific embodiments of the invention, the supports that are attachedto the base of the oral care appliance can take on various forms. Thecharacteristics of the support selected for a given design affects thecharacteristics of the oral care elements and the base in that it isattached to both. As such, the characteristics of the supports can havean impact on all the steps in flow chart 110. Specific examples ofsupports for different embodiments are described below. The set of oneor more supports can be a set of flexible pads, a canvas of wovenfibres, a twisted wire assembly, a flat elastic skeleton, a set of rigidelements, and/or a support rail or platform. Each of the aforementionedsets can have a cardinality of one or more. The supports can further beattached to the base using various methods. For example, each support inthe set of one or more supports which are attached to the base of theoral care mouthpiece can be attached using one of mounting glue,mounting resin, mounting clips, over-moulding, or a heat treatment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross section 200 of a support element for an oralcare element in the form of a flexible pad, an illustration 210 of aflexible pad 211, an illustration 220 of an oral care mouthpiece 221fabricated using that flexible pad, and a flow chart 230 for fabricatingan oral care mouthpiece with a flexible pad in accordance with specificembodiments of the present invention. In the illustrated case, theflexible pad 211 is a canvas of woven fibres. However, in alternativeembodiments of the invention, the flexible pad can take on various formsincluding any supple or flexible strip or pad of material (e.g., rubberstrips, silicon pads, etc.) that are adapted to hold oral care elementssuch as bristles. In the illustrated case, the flexible pad 211 is cutinto strips, such as strip 222, and applied to the full lateral extentof the oral care mouthpiece 221 as shown in image 220. However, inalternative embodiments of the invention, the pads can be directlyattached without first being cut into strips. Furthermore, the pads canbe oriented in different ways relative to the dental arch and can berelatively smaller pieces that do not extend over a full lateral orvertical extent of the oral care mouthpiece.

The support element in cross section 200 is a woven canvas whichincludes a flexible substrate 202 of woven fibres. Cross section 200 cancorrespond to a portion of flexible pad 211 in image 210. In specificembodiments of the invention, the fibres can be polyester or any otherbiocompatible material capable of being weaved. Cross section 200 alsoincludes a set of oral care elements in the form of bristles 201. Inspecific embodiments of the invention, the bristles can be dental nylonor any other material that allows the oral care elements to exhibit thecharacteristics described above when appropriately placed and shaped.Cross section 200 also includes a layer of flexible biocompatible resin203 applied to the back of the flexile woven canvas. The resin can bothassure that the oral care elements remain attached to the support andassist with attaching the support element to the oral care appliance.The flexible woven canvas can be attached to the oral care mouthpieceand provides support for the oral care elements while not impeding theability of the oral care mouthpiece to deform in order to conduct anoral care action.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, the resin 203 is applied tothe back of the flexible woven canvas. The canvas is then applied on theoral care appliance and the resin ensures the bounding between themembrane of the oral care appliance and the canvas. This resin 203 canact like a simple gluing solution or can be activated by UV lightsexposition, air suction, specific reactive, temperature input or anyother activation process.

In FIG. 2 , the flexible strip 222 is one of four flexible pads thathave been attached to oral care mouthpiece 221. These strips include aback edge strip 223 and two bottom strips 224. The flexible pads areeach supports in a set of supports that allow the mouthpiece to deformin response to pressure variations. Each flexible pad can have thecharacteristics of cross section 200. As such, each support in the setof one or more supports comprises a canvas of woven fibres and aflexible and biocompatible resin on a back of the canvas. The oral careelements are attached to the support by being woven into the canvas andheld in place by the resin.

In specific embodiments of the invention, oral care elements can beattached to a flexible pad in various ways. Flow chart 230 includesimplementations of step 112 from FIG. 1 that are applicable to supportelements in the form of flexible strips or pads. Flow chart 230 includesimplementations that are applicable to support elements in the form ofwoven canvases. Flow chart 230 includes an implementation of step 112 inwhich the set of oral care elements are attached to at least one supportwhich includes steps 231 and 232. Step 231 is a step of weaving a canvasof fibres. The canvas can be canvas 202, the oral care elements can bebristles 201. Step 232 is a step of applying a layer of flexiblebiocompatible resin on the back of the canvas. Step 232 can be conductedsuch that the resin covers the base of the oral care elements to therebyfurther secure the oral care elements in the canvas.

The execution of step 231 can impact the configuration of the oral careelements in the oral care mouthpiece. By changing the parameters of thecanvas (e.g., the mesh, the fibre diameter, the number of oral careelements inserted at once, etc.) it is possible to monitor the oral careelement density. In specific embodiments of the invention, the oral careelements, such as nylon bristles, can be gathered in tufts before beingintegrated in the canvas. Gathering the elements into tufts can increasethe density of the oral care elements and increase the strength of thebond between the canvas and oral care elements.

In specific embodiments of the invention, a support in the form of aflexible pad can be attached to an oral care appliance in various ways.The flexible pad can be attached to the oral care appliance usingadhesives, fusing, over-moulding, detachable mounting features such asclips, etc. The flexible pad could be attached using insert mouldingtechniques. For example, the substrate of the pad could be inserted onthe central part of the mould followed by the formation of the oral caremouthpiece base using the mould. The attaching of the pad to the oralcare appliance could occur before or after the attaching of the oralcare elements to the pad. In examples in which the oral care elementsare pre-attached, and the flexible pad is attached using an over-mouldof the base, the oral care elements could be sheathed in a metal portionof the mould or protected inside a block of wax that is removed afterthe demoulding. Regardless of whether the oral care elements areattached to the support first, the pad can be cut into strips prior tobeing attached to the oral care mouthpiece.

Flow chart 230 includes implementations of steps 113 from FIG. 1 thatare applicable to support elements in the form of flexible strips orpads. Flow chart 230 includes implementations that are applicable tosupport elements in the form of woven canvases. Flow chart 230 includesan implementation of step 113 in which the support is attached to themouthpiece which includes steps 233 and 234. Step 233 is a step ofcutting the canvas into strips. The canvas can be canvas 202 and thecanvas can be cut into three or more strips that are each the entirelateral length of the mouthpiece base. However, the canvas can be cut toform strips of any size in accordance with the requirements of theirplacement on the mouthpiece as described above. Step 234 is a step ofattaching the strips to the mouthpiece base. The step can involveattaching the strips to negatives formed in the mouthpiece base or toany surface of the mouthpiece. The strips can be secured using a supplebiocompatible adhesive. In specific embodiments of the invention, thestep can be conducted using the same biocompatible resin used to keepthe oral care elements attached to the support, such as resin 203. Eachsupport in the set of one or more supports can be attached to the baseusing the flexible and biocompatible resin which was used to hold theoral care elements in place on the support.

In specific embodiments of the invention, the one or more supportsattached to the oral care mouthpiece will be one or more twisted wires.The twisted wires could be thin to assure that they do not interferewith the deformation of the mouthpiece. The twisted wire could be twospun wires as are used in the oral care industry. The twisted wire couldserve as a substrate for a set of oral care elements. The set of oralcare elements could be attached to the wire by being inserted into thetwisted wire. In the case of spun wires, the oral care elements could beinserted between the wires before they are twisted together. The oralcare elements could be rigid bristles of nylon or a thermoplasticelastomer (TPE). The wires could be thin plastic or metal wires.

In specific embodiments of the invention, the oral care element densitycan be controlled in various ways. For example, the density of the oralcare elements can be modified by modifying the fabrication parametersfor attaching the oral care elements such as the spinning angle of thewire or the density of oral care element insertion (e.g., tuftinsertion). As another example, the oral care elements can be foldedafter they have been attached to increase the density of the brush withrespect to a given arc relative to the wire. In specific embodiments ofthe invention, the oral care elements can be distributed around the wireand can then be folded so that the oral care elements have adistribution of 135 degrees or less relative to the twisted wire. Inparticular, half or more of the oral care elements can be folded towardsa unique direction thereby reducing the angle of the structure from 360degrees to 180 degrees or less thereby increasing the density of theoral care elements towards the dental arch. This approach can be appliedin situations in which the wire will be attached or embedded within asurface of the oral care mouthpiece and will only face the dental archin a limited arc while being originally fabricated to apply a brushingaction in any direction.

FIG. 3 illustrates two cross sections 300 and 305 of a support elementfor an oral care element in the form of a twisted wire, an illustration320 of a twisted wire 321 in accordance with the first cross section300, and a flow chart 310 for a set of methods of fabricating an oralcare mouthpiece with a flexible pad in accordance with specificembodiments of the present invention. In the illustrated case, thetwisted wire 321 is a plastic wire which has been spun around a set ofdental nylon bristles 322. However, in alternative embodiments of theinvention, the dental nylon bristles 322 can be replaced with differentoral care elements and the wire could be a metal wire.

Flow chart 310 includes a step 311 of twisting a set of oral careelements into a twisted wire assembly. Step 311 can be an implementationof step 112 from FIG. 1 . Flow chart 310 also includes a step 312 offolding the oral care elements towards a center of the oral caremouthpiece. The step can include folding the oral care elements so thatthe oral care elements have a distribution of 180 degrees or less or 135degrees or less relative to the twisted wire. For example, as shown incross sections 300 and 305, a set of oral care elements 322 in the formof low density bristles that have been twisted with a wire assembly 321,are folded such that they have a distribution of 135 degrees or lessrelative to the twisted wire. The elements can be folded towards acenter of the mouthpiece. As illustrated, the oral care elements arefolded such that they have a distribution of 90 degrees.

Flow chart 310 continues with a step 113 of attaching the wire assemblyto the mouthpiece. Step 113 in flow chart 310 can be executed innumerous ways. Step 113 can include trimming the wire at various pointsto size the support for insertion into the mouthpiece. As withalternative supports, the supports can have various sizes and beinserted according to different patterns. For example, multiple wireassemblies, such as three wire assemblies, could be inserted to extendalong the full lateral extent of the mouthpiece. Alternativeconfigurations are possible so long as the mouthpiece is able to deformand the oral care elements on the support achieve an oral care actionduring that deformation.

In specific embodiments of the invention, wire assemblies can beattached to a base in various ways. For example, the wire assemblies canbe attached using any of the methods discussed above with reference toattaching a support to a base. In specific embodiments of the invention,the wires can be directly glued onto the mouthpiece membrane. Inspecific embodiments of the invention, the wire assembly can be directlyover-moulded while the mouthpiece is casted using insert mouldingprocess. In these embodiments, if the oral care elements have alreadybeen applied to the wire prior to over-moulding, to prevent the materialfrom flowing through the oral care elements, the oral care elements canbe either isolated inside the metal mould or protected inside a block ofwax, foam, plastic film, metal cap or any other protective material thatis removed after the demoulding. In specific embodiments of theinvention, the wire assemblies can be attached to a rail formed on thebase of the oral care mouthpiece.

As mentioned previously, in specific embodiments of the invention, thesupport can be a rail or platform for detachably attaching oral careelements. In specific embodiments of the invention, various supportsmentioned herein such as a wire assembly, can also be attached to thebase using such a rail or platform. The combined support and rail can beconceptualized as a single support in accordance with this disclosure.In specific embodiments of the invention, a first anchor portion of arail is over-moulded inside the base. For example, the anchor portioncan be over-moulded using insert moulding techniques. The rail can beattached to the mould prior to injection using a holding feature of therail. The rail can include holes so that material bridges are createdbetween the base and the rail. The mouthpiece can then be de-moulded andit will contain the anchor portion of the rail within the confines ofthe base. Oral care elements or additional supports, such as the wireassemblies mentioned above, can then be inserted into the rail to attachthem to the mouthpiece.

FIG. 4 illustrates an oral care mouthpiece at two stages of afabrication process and two accompanying cross sections that are inaccordance with specific embodiments of the invention disclosed herein.View 400 shows the oral care mouthpiece prior to the mouthpiece beingmoulded. Core insert 401 is the core insert of the mould that will beused to form the mouthpiece. View 400 also shows anchor portion 402 ofthe rail, which will end up being inside the base of the oral caremouthpiece when fabrication is complete. Cross sectional view 410 showsthe oral care mouthpiece at the same stage of fabrication as view 400.The cross-section view shows how anchor portion 402 is kept in contactwith the core insert 401 via a holding feature 411 of the core insertmould 401. The views also show how there are holes 412 and 403 to allowmaterial to flow in and around the anchor portion 402 during injection.Cross section view 420 and view 430 show the mouthpiece at a secondstage of production. The base 422 of the mouthpiece has been formed viainjection moulding and anchor portion 402 is within the confines of thebase. Cross section view 420 also shows how oral care elements 421 canbe attached to the rail, such as by sliding a wire assembly down thechannel or clipping the wire assembly to the rail View 420 only includesthe base 422 on half of the view in order to reveal anchor portion 402.

The rail solution can be extended to many different oral care solutionsby adapting the geometry of the rail. FIG. 5 illustrates two railsspecialized for different oral care elements in accordance with specificembodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 includes a rail 510 with aset of round clips, such as clip 502. Clip 502 is shown in detail inwindow 500 which shows the clip attached to the line 501 of the railwhich is in turn attached to the base via support 503. As illustrated,clip 502 can be used to insert round nylon or TPE tufts onto themouthpiece. FIG. 5 also includes a rail 520 with similar characteristicsin that a set of clips, such as clip 522, are connected to the main line521 of the rail. However, clip 522 is dedicated to the integration ofdense rectangular nylon/TPE tufts onto the mouthpiece. The same type ofclip can be used to support oral care elements with widely varyingcharacteristics. Altering the geometry of the rail and clips can providenumerous opportunities for altering the characteristics of themouthpiece and its oral care action. The clips can be used to swap innew oral care elements. In embodiments in which the clips themselves arealso detachably attached, the characteristics of the action of themouthpiece can be further modified. Furthermore, the fact that the clipsallow for oral care elements to be detachably attached provides theimprovements in cost mentioned above associated with mouthpiece basesthat have a longer life cycle than the oral care elements.

In specific embodiments of the invention, the support is a flat flexibleskeleton. The flexible skeleton can include oral care elements attachedto the skeleton through over-moulding, or from being part of the samemould. The oral care elements can also be attached to the flat skeletonusing an adhesive, heat treatment, sonic welding, or any of the methodsmentioned herein. A flat skeleton can, in certain embodiments, presentcertain benefits in that the demoulding axis will be aligned with theoral care elements formed thereon, allowing for finer dimensions and animproved oral care action in the finished product.

FIG. 6 illustrates a support element for an oral care element in theform of a flat flexible skeleton 610 being attached to an oral caremouthpiece 620. The oral care mouthpiece 620 includes a negative 612into which the flexible skeleton 610 can be placed. The flexibleskeleton 610 includes a set of oral care elements in the form ofbristles 611 moulded with the skeleton. In specific embodiments of theinvention, to simplify handling and fabrication, the skeleton caninclude bridges to join separate segments. As illustrated, flexibleskeleton 610, includes bridges 613 between the different regions of theskeleton which maintain skeleton 610 as a single piece but does notlimit the deformation of the mouthpiece when the skeleton is attached tothe base. The bridges can be thinner material than the remainder of theskeleton and, in embodiments in which the mouthpiece includes a negativeto receive the skeleton, the negative does not necessarily includeregions to receive the bridges.

Flow chart 600 includes an implementation of steps 111 and 112 in theform of step 601 in which the skeleton is demoulded. In theseembodiments, the oral care elements and support are co-moulded and theyare attached as soon as the mouthpiece is formed. As the skeleton isflat, the oral care elements can be fabricated with small cross sectionsand the process avoids the limitations of manufacturing for complexthree-dimensional geometries. Step 601 can include moulding a flatskeleton on which the bristles are attached. The mould can be drilledwith high accuracy, thinness, and ease or demoulding since it is a flatpart. The flat skeleton also decreases the likelihood that bristles willbe torn during demoulding.

Flow chart 600 also includes an implementation of steps 113 in the formof steps 602 and 603 in which the skeleton is folded and then attachedto the base of the oral care element. This process is illustrated by thearrow connecting flat skeleton 610 and base 620. The illustratedapproach uses a negative 612. However, a negative is not required andthe skeleton can instead be attached at a targeted location directlyonto a surface of a base. The skeleton and base can be connected usingany of the approaches described above for connecting a support to anoral care mouthpiece base. For example, the skeleton can be connectedusing sonic welding, fusing, gluing, or stapling.

In specific embodiments of the invention, the supports will be a set ofrigid elements. The rigid elements can be formed on or in the base. Therigid elements can be attached to the base using glue or over-moulding.For example, the rigid elements can be held in place by the mould whilethe base is formed around them. The rigid elements can be independentand spaced apart such that they do not limit the deformation of themouthpiece. In specific embodiments of the invention, the manner inwhich the oral care elements are attached to the rigid elements issimilar to how bristles are attached to the rigid head of a standardtoothbrush, but the rigid elements are each smaller than those elementsin order to not impede the deformation of the base. In theseembodiments, the dental care elements can be TPE, silicone, nylon, orother suitable materials. The rigid elements can be short rigid rods.The oral care elements can be stapled on the short rigid rods. The rodscan be linked to the inner side of the oral care mouthpiece by anysuitable assembly solution such as gluing or over moulding, or any ofthe approaches disclosed herein for attaching supports to a base. Inspecific embodiments of the invention, the rods are short andindependent such that they do not limit the mouthpiece deformation. Theoverall stiffness of the oral care mouthpiece can remain low. Inspecific embodiments of the invention, several rods can be connected toeach other by supple links. The links can be formed by supple plastic orany elastic material. The size of the rods, or other rigid elements, canbe set to achieve certain objectives. The rigid elements can be madelarger to better connect the bristles together or made smaller to serveas less of an impediment to the deformation of the base.

Although the invention has been described with regard to itsembodiments, specific embodiments and various examples, it should beunderstood that various changes and modifications as would be obvious toone having the ordinary skill in this art may be made without departingfrom the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims appendedhereto.

1.-30. (canceled)
 31. An oral care mouthpiece comprising: a base shapedto a dental arch; a set of one or more flexible supports attached to thebase; and a set of oral care elements: (i) attached to the set of one ormore flexible supports; and (ii) placed to provide an oral care actionto the dental arch.
 32. The oral care mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein:the oral care elements are each between 3 millimetres and 6 millimetreslong; the oral care elements have a maximum cross section diameter ofless than 0.2 millimetres; and the Young modulus of the oral careelements is between 2,000 MPa and 5,000 MPa.
 33. The oral caremouthpiece of claim 1, wherein: the oral care elements have a momentless than 10⁴ Newton meters; and the moment is defined as the Youngmodulus in MPa multiplied by the quadradic moment of a minimum sectionof the oral care element in meters to the power of four, divided by thelength of the oral care element.
 34. The oral care mouthpiece of claim1, wherein: each support in the set of one or more supports comprises acanvas of woven fibers; and the oral care elements are attached to thesupport by being woven into the canvas.
 35. The oral care mouthpiece ofclaim 4, wherein: each support in the set of one or more supportsfurther comprises a flexible and biocompatible resin on a back of thecanvas of woven fibers; and the oral care elements are further attachedto the support by being held in place by the resin.
 36. The oral caremouthpiece of claim 1, wherein: the set of one or more supports is aflat skeleton which is subsequently attached to a negative in the base.37. The oral care mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein: the set of one or moresupports is a flexible skeleton attached to a negative in the base. 38.The oral care mouthpiece of claim 7, wherein: the flexible skeletonincludes different regions; the flexible skeleton includes bridgesbetween the different regions; and the bridges are thinner material thana remainder of the skeleton.
 39. The oral care mouthpiece of claim 1,wherein: the set of oral care elements is a set of cleaning elements.40. The oral care mouthpiece of claim 9, wherein: the set of cleaningelements comprise dental nylon bristles.
 41. The oral care mouthpiece ofclaim 1, wherein: each support in the set of one or more supports isattached to the base using one of: (i) a mounting glue; (ii) a mountingresin; (iii) a mounting clip; (iv) over-moulding; and (v) a heattreatment.
 42. The oral care mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein: the oralcare elements in the set of oral care elements are detachable; and theoral care elements in the set of oral care elements are attached to theone or more flexible supports by one of: (i) a clip; (ii) a channel;(iii) a screw; or (iv) a snap.
 43. The oral care mouthpiece of claim 1,wherein: the base is elastic; and the base is configured to elasticallydeform towards the dental arch and away from the dental arch in responseto pressure variations in the mouthpiece.
 44. The oral care mouthpieceof claim 1, wherein: the supports in the set of supports are detachablyattached to the base; and the supports in the set of supports areattached to the base by one of: (i) a clip; (ii) a channel; (iii) ascrew; or (iv) a snap.
 45. The oral care mouthpiece of claim 1, furthercomprising: a set of recesses in the base; wherein the supports in theset of supports are each attached to the base by a recess in the set ofrecesses.
 46. An oral care mouthpiece comprising: a set of one or moreflexible supports attached to the mouthpiece; and a set of oral careelements: (i) attached to the set of one or more supports; and (ii)placed to provide an oral care action.
 47. The oral care mouthpiece ofclaim 16, wherein: the oral care elements are each between 3 millimetresand 6 millimetres long; the oral care elements have a maximum crosssection diameter of less than 0.2 millimetres; and the Young modulus ofthe oral care elements is between 2,000 MPa and 5,000 MPa.
 48. The oralcare mouthpiece of claim 16, wherein: the oral care elements have amoment less than 10⁴ Newton meters; and the moment is defined as theYoung modulus in MPa multiplied by the quadradic moment of a minimumsection of the oral care element in meters to the power of four, dividedby the length of the oral care element.
 49. The oral care mouthpiece ofclaim 16, wherein: each support in the set of one or more supportscomprises a canvas of woven fibers; and the oral care elements areattached to the support by being woven into the canvas.
 50. The oralcare mouthpiece of claim 19, wherein: each support in the set of one ormore supports further comprises a flexible and biocompatible resin on aback of the canvas of woven fibers; and the oral care elements arefurther attached to the support by being held in place by the resin. 51.The oral care mouthpiece of claim 14, wherein: the set of one or moresupports is a flexible skeleton attached to a negative in the base. 52.The oral care mouthpiece of claim 14, wherein: the set of one or moresupports is a flat skeleton which is subsequently attached to a negativein the base.
 53. A method of forming an oral care mouthpiece comprising:shaping a base to a dental arch; attaching a set of at least oneflexible supports to the base; attaching a set of oral care elements tothe at least one flexible supports; and whereby the set of oral careelements are placed to provide an oral care action to the dental arch.54. The method of claim 23, further comprising: weaving a canvas ofwoven fibers; wherein the canvas of woven fibres is a support in the setof at least one flexible supports.
 55. The method of claim 24, whereinthe oral care elements are attached to the at least one flexible supportby: weaving the oral care elements into the canvas of woven fibres. 56.The method of claim 24, wherein the set of supports are attached to thebase by: cutting the canvas into a set of strips; and attaching the setof strips to the base; wherein the set of strips is the set of at leastone flexible supports.
 57. The method of claim 24, further comprising:attaching the canvas of woven fibres to negatives formed in the base.58. The method of claim 24, further comprising: forming a strip ofbiocompatible resin on a backside of the canvas of woven fibres; andwhereby the oral care elements are further attached to the set of atleast one flexible supports by being held in place by the resin.
 59. Themethod of claim 23, further comprising: forming a flat skeleton; forminga negative in the base; and attaching the flat skeleton to the negativein the base; wherein the flat skeleton is the at least one flexiblesupport.
 60. The method of claim 23, further comprising: forming a flatskeleton using a demoulding process; and wherein the attaching of theoral care elements to the flat skeleton comprises forming the oral careelements with the flat skeleton using the demoulding process; wherein ademoulding axis of the flat skeleton is aligned with the oral careelements in the demoulding process.